Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Canine orbital rhabdomyosarcoma causing eye bulging in young dogs
By Scott, Erin M et al.·Published in Veterinary ophthalmology·2016·Department of Surgical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Canine orbital rhabdomyosarcoma: a report of 18 cases.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old dog was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive eye tumor called canine orbital rhabdomyosarcoma, which caused the eye to bulge out and the third eyelid to lift. The tumor was found through imaging tests that showed a mass in the eye socket. Unfortunately, most younger dogs with this tumor did not survive long after diagnosis, often needing to be euthanized within a few months due to the tumor returning or spreading. However, older dogs showed better outcomes, with some remaining healthy for up to a year after surgery.
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Abstract
PURPOSE: To describe clinical and pathological features of canine orbital rhabdomyosarcoma (COR). METHODS: Retrospective review of patients with COR from the archives of the Comparative Ocular Pathology Laboratory of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (1983-2014). RESULTS: Eighteen cases of COR were identified, all diagnosed in an 8-year period (2006-2014). Affected dogs were typically young (range 1-8; median 2 years), and both sexes were equally represented. Common clinical signs included exophthalmos (16/18) with dorsolateral deviation of the globe (10/18) and elevation of the nictitans (12/18). Ultrasonography, performed in nine cases, revealed an orbital mass with mixed echogenicity and posterior globe indentation. Advanced imaging, performed in nine cases, demonstrated a soft tissue mass with variable contrast enhancement and lysis of the orbital bones (5/9). Histologically, all tumors were subclassified as embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. All neoplasms demonstrated positive immunohistochemical labeling for desmin, and 14/18 were positive for skeletal muscle actin. Follow-up information was available for 15/18 cases. Older dogs, aged 6-8 years, had no clinical signs of recurrence or metastasis 8-13 months postdiagnosis (4/4). Most younger dogs (9/11), aged 1-4 years, were euthanized within 6 months (median 2.5 months) of diagnosis due to recurrence at the surgical site (5/9) and/or metastasis (5/9). CONCLUSIONS: Canine orbital rhabdomyosarcoma is a highly malignant neoplasm in juvenile dogs, but may be amenable to surgical resection in older dogs. This duality in biologic behavior may reflect differences in tissue of origin between juvenile onset tumors and adult onset tumors.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25846977/